The definition of group work, and the pros and cons were
well defined. There was some discussion on the definitions of group work vs
collaboration, which most people were fans of the latter. There was a lot of
discussion about the pros and cons, unfortunately, the cons outnumbered the
pros this time.

Joanna wrote: “Pro:

- Less time
consuming grading for the instructor

- Students
tackle a big project, similar to how they might in the workplace

- Social
aspect

- Learn collaboration
and teamwork

- Learn from
new skills, perspectives, work experiences

- Time
management skills

- For some,
I see leadership skills develop

Con:

- Conflict
can occur

-
Instructors in my experience either devote too much class time or not enough,
which means that students are spending a lot of outside time trying to
coordinate project

- One or
more students may take the bulk of the project while another does very little

- Can be a
challenge for the instructor to manage the conflicts and grade appropriately

Andreas added: “To the pros
I would add that:

-Students
have the opportunity to learn from and support each other

-Some weaker
students may be forced to up their game

-Students
gain real perspective where their strengths and weaknesses lie compared to
other students

To the cons
I would add:

-A bad apple
may pull the whole group down

-Introverts
are overpowered and may not be able to contribute as much as more assertive
people(See Journal 2)

The question to even evaluate group work was introduced by
Doug and there were differing opinions on this, people were mostly unsure what
to do about the proposed question, but definitely one that got people thinking.

The common feelings surrounding group work are mostly
negative due to unfair workloads. While most recognize the need for group work
and that people must learn to work together, most people have had very negative
experiences in the past and do not look forward to group work in general.

Promoting positive group dynamics was also revisited as this is
a concept familiar to many. Ice breakers, games and fun activities were seen as
examples of promoting positivity.

For monitoring of group effectiveness, the idea of peer
evaluations was recommended which included an individual mark and a
group mark. Concerns with giving a peer a low score and the ramifications of
this was also introduced which was thought might bring on hurt feelings and
thus negative future group work.

Confirmation bias was introduced as a side note and Gloria and I
both became very excited with this find! ‘Searching out literature to support
our beliefs’…...definitely something I want to go and research more of. Perhaps
I will find more confirmation bias about my confirmation bias research!

Lisa-Marie wrote:
“One way to ensure the marking is fairly distributed would
be too have the learners journal their own participation and experience
throughout the project and to self-assess both their own contributions and
their efforts to act as a contributing group member. If the expectation is
there from the beginning of the project or activity, individuals will be
more conscious of and aware of what their responsibilities are.” (Nov, 12,
10:48pm).

An interesting suggestion which I am curious to try and which
now leads me to my next key point, the group contract. I thought the pros and
cons would have generated the most interest, but it turned out it was the group
contract. Much interest resulted and many are eager to implement this
in a future project. Many felt this is most likely the only way to implement
group work that will be fair and produce the positive results that everyone
goes in hoping for. Doug asked about teamwork contracts and the internet had
many resources available supporting the use of and I believe I was objective in
my research. The research also provided templates for teams to consider.

Susan Cain felt that we needed to “stop the
madness for constant group work”!!! (Ted Talk).